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Hang Ten! How the History of Surfing Went Digital

For the typical land-locked folk, all one needs to learn about surfing can be found on the Wikipedia entry for surfing. The page is filled with a bulleted history, surfing physics, maneuvers, dangers, locations and of course, a photo of the correct way to make the universal surfing Shaka sign with one’s hand.

But for a surf enthusiast, this Wikipedia digital surfing history is far from complete. And any other general web search of the term “surfing” nets more news, less history, delivering dissatisfying results for the true surfing historian – until now.

In November 2011, Matt Warshaw, 51, the published author of 2003‘s The Encyclopedia of Surfing made a digital leap in the name of surfing history.

When it was first published in print, the book instantly became a standard desk reference, with its 1,600 surfing entries. It was named by Amazon as the number-two sports book of 2003.

Hang Ten: From Print to Digital

But Warshaw decided to break out of the print publication model and take his encyclopedia digital. He began the process of creating a rich, historical web archive of the sport, a living, breathing document that will survive the shifting digital sands of time.

However, his traditional publisher wasn't interested in investing in these digitization efforts. Warshaw — a former Surfer magazine editor and legendary surf journalist — recognized a new source of funding: the global surf community that had purchased his print copies for years.

Warshaw launched a Kickstarter project for the digitization of the Encyclopedia of Surfing. After receiving explosive social media support from insider surf publications, celebrities and the industry in general, the tight-knit community dived deep into its pockets. Within eight days Warshaw’s project had reached its fundraising goal.

There are many similarities between the Wikipedia surfing entry and Warshaw’s print EOS: formal style, consistency from page to page and finite entries, all qualities which common to traditional reference style.

However, only a seasoned industry insider can truly deliver to an audience he knows well. EOS is slightly elitist, which is what the hierarchy of surfing society expects. But Warshaw “made it a point, whenever possible, to lighten things up. An R-rated quote here and there from the surfers, a bit of mild humor, and well-chosen anecdote.”

Warshaw is nostalgic, though. He loves that, in print, “the sport, for a moment, was kind of set in stone.” On the other hand, he understands that in the current digital landscape, a lot of today's information is dated by the time it hits the bookshelves. With the Encyclopedia of Surfing he hopes to feed the true seeker his or her daily digital dose of historical surf culture.

A Funding and Community Revolution for the Surf “Creative”

Conventionally, creative surf projects have been funded by the larger industry lifestyle brands, but with lower revenues the past few years, the once hefty monetary lifeline suddenly has zero budget to dish out. On the other hand, creatives are starting to veer away from the over-branded corporation support anyway, in favor of more artistic freedom.

The independent artists, filmmakers and authors in the surf world quickly noticed Warshaw’s success. They've launched a flurry of Kickstarter projects over the past few months, and many have raised the support they desperately needed. Kickstarter projects almost always give tangible objects or value back to donors who contribute to a project. As luck would have it, surf enthusiasts love to collect imagery, film, etc. Merely offering some return value to the Kickstarter donor goes a long way.

WAX magazine looked straight to its potential subscribers. It offered donors who pledged $25 or more a free copy of the magazine's first issue. Soon, it had raised the $15,000 production expense price tag needed for the first print, which focuses on urban surf environments.

Cyrus Sutton, online entertainment pioneer and founder of Kordoruy.tv, successfully funded his 2012 production budget for an original short content web series. He offers the content — a surfing meets DIY, health and environmental awareness series — completely free to his audience, in the spirit of sharing the digital aloha.

Taking hints from #WhileWeWatch — a social media study of Occupy Wall Street — Thomas Brookins, a self-funded filmmaker who admittedly lost money on his first surf film project, has changed his strategy. Brookins is actively engaging the surf community over social media platforms to pull initial funding for his Kickstarter project, a film called Fire & Water. The documentary details the life of Don "Gums" Eichin, a pioneering surfer of the 1960s who became one of New York City's brave firefighters, and has inspired many surfing souls in the urban playground to take positions of public service.

Getting the word out is crucial to all of these campaigns. The surfing community has proven that the consumer is happy to support the livelihood of these digital crafts, especially when the final content created is made available for free. These creative pioneers have taken to social media and Kickstarter to create awareness for their projects, and have netted consistent financial support. Their industry and community have created a funding model that other creative industries should follow.

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